With dual columns spouting the same garbage in both Passenger Train Journal and Railfan. This time it's "Get Rid of Richard Anderson" instead of Joe Boardman, the prior CEO he complained about for the entire tenure. This is getting to be a very boorish habit of his.

Highlights of the article include making comments about the proposed bus replacement for the Chief. Phillips asserts that this is a bad idea because a train can go in all weather when a bus can't. Uh, Donnie, have you heard all the bellyaching because the NEC shuts down in snow?

Another highlight is four paragraphs dedicated the Toys for Tots fracas. It's certainly not reason to dump the CEO, even if it is disappointing.

And here's the most amusing part: Ted and Sylvia Blishak's column in the back of PTJ has a great writeup on the very profitable Rocky Mountaineer. It goes on to discuss how they only run in peak season, no sleepers, and pays some sort of access fees to CP that make it worth CP's trouble to host. It also offers a trip with a bus connection between rail legs.

Look, I'm no sleeper basher. I enjoy a long sleeper trip and a diner meal. But I'm also realistic and I want train travel to be useful and profitable. It frustrates me that a "in the know" guy cannot let up bashing the CEO for not running 1952's trains, when ten pages away, some uncelebrated bright personalities that have been writing for decades have a great article about a profitable passenger train that plays well with freights and has a very bright future. What gives?

But we've also seen our fair share of Brightline bashing and it appears things are going quite well over there despite the lack of traditional arrangements.

Total ridership for the first half of the year was 180,870, just 16 percent of the 1.1 million passengers Brightline told investors in December that it expected for the full year of 2018.*********** Brightline’s revenue for the first half totaled $2.2 million, just 9 percent of the $23.9 million in revenue it predicted for 2018.***********The private rail service reported a net loss of $28.3 million for the second quarter, compared to a loss of $28.2 million in the first quarter.

Total ridership for the first half of the year was 180,870, just 16 percent of the 1.1 million passengers Brightline told investors in December that it expected for the full year of 2018.*********** Brightline’s revenue for the first half totaled $2.2 million, just 9 percent of the $23.9 million in revenue it predicted for 2018.***********The private rail service reported a net loss of $28.3 million for the second quarter, compared to a loss of $28.2 million in the first quarter.

A 3 stop shortline with 180,000 riders in 1/2 a year, or 360,000+ a year, is hardly a crappy start. That's more than a number of Amtrak lines do in a year.

What I see from Brightline, admittingly a thousand miles away:

Decent pricing.

Predictable, clockface schedules.

An attempt at customer service.

Modern equipment with a reasonable amount of power behind (and in front) of it.